New digital cameras take excellent quality pictures and are smaller and becomeing relatively inexpensive. The problem for me is they don't have a view finder. I have an older digital camera with a view finder and it is very easy for me to use as pilot or passenger.

I would like to upgrade to a new one with more pixles etc. but I'm afraid it would be too distracting as pilot to try using the view screen to aim and zoom on my subject while flying. My wife has a newer digital camera ad she has a hard time seeing the screen to take pictures when we fly and even on the ground when the sun is out she can't see the screen.

Are there any digital cameras today with a view finder or am i out of luck?

Edit:It needs to fit in my shirt pocket, have about 10 pages or less in the users manual English section and cost less than $200. I'm not a techno geek.

The Canon 5D Mark III has a viewfinder.

mountainmatt wrote:The Canon 5D Mark III has a viewfinder.

I just saw your post and looked at that one Matt. I should have included in my first post: It needs to fit in my shirt pocket, have about 10 pages or less in the users manual English section and cost less than $200. I'm not a techno geek.

Canon Power Shot A1200 HD if you shop can find it for around $100 12.1 mp vedio, auto, love it and it fits in my pocket

tcj wrote: The problem for me is they don't have a [an optical] view finder.

I used to have this requirement too, but I got over it. I bought a P&S that's geared toward manual photography and I haven't really missed the optical viewfinder. So few non-SLR cameras anymore have them that you might as well give up, because you'll be sacrificing so many other competitive features.

Bighorn wrote:Canon Power Shot A1200 HD if you shop can find it for around $100 12.1 mp vedio, auto, love it and it fits in my pocket

Thanks Big horn, I am going to check this out.

Zane, you sound like my wife. I like simple things though. The only electrical accessory in my airplane is the starter.

I cant shoot in daylight without a viewfinder. I have this Nikon coolpix thing with a touchscreen on the back. No viewfinder, and you have to hold it by the edges because of the touch screen. The guts of the thing are really good, but the interface sucks because you cant hold it easily, and cant see what youre shooting in the daylight.

I've been doing the same looking--and I've discovered several that will fit the bill, although all of them have more than 10 pages in their manuals!

Cary

Google products search for "point and shoot with optical viewfinder"

Keep in mind that an optical viewfinder on a non-SLR is just an approximation of the frame. You're actually just looking through a little plastic window into space, whereas the LCD viewfinder is actually showing you exactly what will be in the frame.

If you insist on simple though, this may do the job:

Zane wrote: whereas the LCD viewfinder is actually showing you exactly what will be in the frame.

But only if you can see it.

Cary wrote:I've been doing the same looking--and I've discovered several that will fit the bill, although all of them have more than 10 pages in their manuals!

Cary

I may be able to get over the 10 page requirement if they are not too complex to understand. I'd like to check them out. What make and models?

I know it doesn't fit your price range, but I just bought an Olympus Epm-1 it has an optical viewfinder. I just love it, more features than a point and shoot, and you can change the lenses, but very small and light weight for airplane work. Doesn't fit in your pocket or fit your budget but others might like it. It doesn't do well when you drop it though

What make and models?

I haven't kept track, but I went to Best Buy the other day and found a Canon, a Panasonic, a Nikon, and an Olympus, all in the $200 range. I sort of fell in love with a $500 Canon, and I decided I better leave before I spent a whole lot more than I intended, so I didn't write down the model numbers. Sorry. I'll bet if you were to look on each of those manufacturer's websites, though, you'd find the ones I looked at.

Cary

You might want to check out the Olympus "Tough" Series. They are what your looking for and they can be used underwater, dropped and run over. They have a stainless steel housing. I have a couple weatherproof ones and you can pick up ones like mine off ebay for under $25. The Tough Series probably aren't the best camera for photo quality but I pack mine around everywhere and have dropped it left it outside and it always works. Mine are the "Stylus" series but they have an LCD Screen. Check it out:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_secti ... tion=tough

None of those have an optical viewfinder.

Cary

I agree with Jaerl, I have a couple of Tough 6000 cameras for construction work, have dropped them in a 20 ' manhole and still had them work,they do wide photo's also in camera.
They do not have a view finder but a large display on the back, good in any condition.
I was going through 1 or 2 camera's a season until these came out. 10 pixel camera's
They might be a bit more than 200 though but not much on ebay or at B&H camera
I use a A350 and a A850 Sony for most of my photo's that I want to show off.
Have a high dollar Canon with about a 300 page book for vertical aerial shots out of a camera port on a gyro stabilized platform.
Have fun
GT

There's so many out there just find one that works for you, see if you can borrow a few and go take some pix! ( just like planes, boats and w) find the one you can live with and go from there!

Why do you want a viewfinder. It's hard to drive while you looking through a little hole?

I bought a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX9V and love it, but no view finder.

After a quick search, I found this one (Seems to be a fairly nice camera and I love that it uses AA batteries):
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Powershot-A ... 77&sr=8-12

Jaerl wrote:Why do you want a viewfinder. It's hard to drive while you looking through a little hole?

It's not hard for me to look through the little hole. I can shoot a picture with a view finder in a couple seconds while flying. With a screen, if I can even see what I want to shoot, I'm past it before I find it in the screen. It diverts my attention form the primary mission...fly the airplane. Maybe I just read too much about moose stalls.

mountainmatt wrote:I bought a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX9V and love it, but no view finder.

After a quick search, I found this one (Seems to be a fairly nice camera and I love that it uses AA batteries):
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Powershot-A ... 77&sr=8-12

That looks like what I want. I think that is the one Big Horn recommended too. I'm going to check one out. A little more optical zoom would be nice if I can find it.